Eunpyeong-gu, Strengthening Child Abuse Investigation and Child Protection System

Proper Placement of Child Abuse Response Personnel and Formation of Information Coordination Council... Enactment of Child-Related Ordinances to Complete Legal Response System

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Tragic incidents such as the child abuse death in Cheonan, the Changnyeong child abuse case, and the recent socially enraging Jeong-in child abuse death case have occurred.

As a result, the activities of child protection teams in each autonomous district are gaining attention.

In fact, Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) has established a public child protection system through appropriate personnel allocation and the formation of a child abuse response information linkage council, operating a thorough child abuse investigation and child protection system.

Until now, child abuse investigations were handled by private organizations, the Child Protection Agencies, and local governments lacked an active role as key agents in child protection. Following last year’s government inclusive national child policy, the publicization of child abuse investigations was promoted, and with the revision of the Child Welfare Act, child abuse investigation duties were transferred to local governments.

Accordingly, Eunpyeong-gu proactively reorganized its structure before the full-scale reform of the child abuse response system. A child protection team dedicated to child abuse investigations was newly established, assigning five child abuse dedicated public officials and four child protection specialists, enabling local governments to conduct child abuse investigations and counseling at the early detection stage, allowing for proactive responses.

Notably, the number of child abuse dedicated public officials assigned is the highest among the 25 autonomous districts in Seoul, with one more official scheduled to be assigned in January this year.

Additionally, on November 6 last year, the ordinance on the formation and operation of the Eunpyeong-gu Child Welfare Deliberation Committee was revised, and the ordinance on the prevention of child abuse and protection of victimized children in Eunpyeong-gu was enacted, clearly establishing the legal basis for prompt protection and support for children in need of care.

For proactive child abuse response and information sharing, the Eunpyeong-gu Child Abuse Response Information Linkage Council was formed, involving practitioners from the local police station, education support office, and Child Protection Agency. Through regular monthly meetings, they share information on abused and at-risk children and discuss various cooperation measures for child protection and support.

Since July last year, 161 high-risk children, including those with long-term absences and those who missed health checkups, have been intensively monitored through community service centers. Investigations were also conducted on 252 three-year-old children being raised at home, excluding those attending kindergartens and daycare centers, to confirm their whereabouts and safety.

On November 19, marking ‘Child Abuse Prevention Day,’ related agencies participated in a pledge to create an Eunpyeong-gu free of child abuse. A small-scale joint campaign was also conducted focusing on convenience stores and neighborhood pharmacies, which have become key reporting points for child abuse, to raise awareness.

This year, full efforts will be made to detect abused children early and prevent child abuse in advance. Child abuse prevention booklets will be produced as digital content and distributed to schools, comprehensive childcare support centers, and local police stations for use as educational and promotional materials. Parent coaching education will be conducted on how to reduce conflicts and communicate with children in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Eunpyeong-gu’s child policy is based on the belief that a city where children are happy is a city where everyone lives well. Starting with the 2017 Eunpyeong-gu Child-Friendly City Development Plan, a business agreement was signed with UNICEF to create child-friendly communities. As a result of continuous efforts, last year Eunpyeong-gu received UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification, marking a significant step forward.

Moreover, the ‘I Mom Taxi’ project began to support transportation for families with pregnant women and infants who face difficulties using public transportation when visiting hospitals and clinics. To address safety issues on children’s commuting routes, various traffic safety services such as yellow carpets, sign blocks, and pedestrian signal voice guidance are provided through traffic safety designs viewed from children’s eye level.

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, stated, “The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child defines children not simply as objects of protection but as subjects with dignity and rights, specifying their basic rights to survival and participation. We will strengthen various measures so that heartbreaking incidents like the Jeong-in case never happen again, with Eunpyeong taking the lead.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.